Meth smugglers sentenced
Judge Sharon Harris has sentenced a man for his role in an illegal AU$80m ($51.9m) methamphetamine import plot to six years in prison.
Harris’ judgement on Jimmy Ong, 25, was handed out in NSW District Court on Monday and includes a non-parole period of three years.
can only apply for parole in May 2028
This means Ong, who confessed he got into the narcotics plot over hopes of securing an AU$50,000 ($32,441) cut to pay off an AU$30,000 ($19,464) debt, can only apply for parole in May 2028. Ong’s co-accused, Nguyen “Daniel” Thanh Huy La, 27, was sentenced to five years in jail after both pleaded guilty to attempting to “possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
The pair can count themselves fortunate, as the offence carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Judge Harris, however, singled Ong out in court for displaying a “notable level of naivety.”
Ong and La smuggled 286 blocks (53.4 kgs) of pure methamphetamine hidden in two industrial coffee grinders into Brisbane Airport on January 6.
Caught meth handed
According to reports, the Australian Border Force dismantled the grinders in Brisbane after they had transited through Mexico and Hong Kong from Guatemala. ABF officers then switched the meth with a harmless substance before reassembling the machines and tracking them as they were transported from the airport to a home in Sydney’s Cabramatta suburb.
A search warrant on the home, which belongs to Ong’s grandparents, found the crime duo in the process of dismantling the grinders. Ong was arrested on the spot while Le jumped a fence to escape before officers intercepted him on a nearby street.
Ong reportedly used his driver’s license and traceable mobile number to hire a forklift to remove the grinders from the transport, supporting the judge’s characterization of the operation as “naive.”
Both men, however, received a “25% discount for their guilty pleas.”
both Ong and La had troubled childhoods
Judge Harris stated that both Ong and La had troubled childhoods, including domestic violence, and exposure to “others addicted to gambling and alcohol.”
The judge further noted in court that both men had apologized for their actions and “taken steps towards rehabilitation, including getting psychiatric help.”
Families in tears
According to The Irrigator, “sobs and wails” broke out among the suspects’ family members and supporters in court on Monday after Harris announced the prison sentences.
Ong was offered AU$50,000 to participate in the meth plot, of which he intended to use the lion’s share to pay gambling debts to friends and family.
